Numerous residents of the Fairhaven apartment building are scrambling to find new homes after city building and fire officials condemned the structure on Monday.

"We had been working on several life-safety issues with the owner over several months, going back to October," said Fire Chief Kenneth Scandariato, who also is the city's fire marshal. "The owner was attempting to make repairs, but just couldn't keep up with (the rate of damage being done."

Scandariato said there are problems with primary and secondary escape routes, such as exterior fire escapes, that make the building unsafe to live in.

Adele Bouthillier has lived there for eight months.

"It happened yesterday or today," she said. "We just got up and there was a note on our door." She said their landlord said they would have to relocate for about four or five days, and that they could leave their belongings until making an appointment to come pick them up.

The Bulletin has been unable to reach the owner, Ariana Liti of Peabody, Mass., for comment.

The five-story brick building, located at 26-28 Broadway, has 21 apartments. It was the site of a suspicious fire in October, as which time Liti said she has been repeatedly frustrated in her attempts to keep irresponsible tenants, squatters and vandals out of the building.

Beverly Goulet, director of human services for the city, said they have been getting a steady stream of residents, who are eligible for some assistance if they are legal residents of the building at least three months.

"We always encourage people to stay with family and friends if they can first," Goulet said. "There aren't a lot of options out there right now. We still have four people living at the YMCA that we need to find places for."